Introduction: If you ever doubt Jesus’ love for you,
consider our study this week. Jesus suffered for you
everything that humans fear: embarrassment, humiliation,
pain, suffering, desertion, and death. What happened to Him
is horrific. While Jesus’ suffering as a human is terrible,
Jesus’ suffering as God is unfathomable. Let’s take a
painful look at what our sins caused Jesus.
I. The Pilate Hearing
A. Read Mark 15:1. What do you suppose is the reason
for the “consultation” among the Jewish leaders?
(Read Luke 22:66-71. They were finishing Jesus’
“trial.”)
B. Look specifically at Luke 22:70-71. Has Jesus
admitted the “crime?” (No. Plus, we previously
discussed the “two or three witness” rule that
protected Jesus against self-incrimination.)
C. Read Mark 15:2. Why is Jesus before Pilate if the
Jewish leaders agreed He should die? (They did not
have the authority to crucify Jesus.)
1. Why would Pilate ask this question? (The
Romans had no interest in killing Jesus over a
religious dispute with the Jewish leaders.
What they were concerned about was sedition,
an attempt to overthrow the government. The
two different charges had the same fact basis:
Does Jesus claim to be the Son of God, the
King of the Jews?)
2. Does Jesus admit His guilt to Pilate? (No. He
simply repeats the charges against Him.)
a. Why do you think that is? (Jesus was not
going to aid them in their unjust act.
Especially since the charge was not true,
He did not come to establish a kingdom on
earth.)
D. Read Mark 15:3-5. Why would Pilate be amazed that
Jesus decided to be silent?
E. Read Mark 15:6-10. How would Pilate decide the
case against Jesus? (He thought it was simply a
rivalry between the Jewish leaders and Jesus. That
is likely the reason why he was amazed that Jesus
did not make a spirited defense.)
1. Has Pilate read the evidence correctly? (Yes!)
F. Read Mark 15:11. Have you ever been involved in
wrong-doing and at some point asked, “What am I
doing? I need to stop this?”
1. Should the chief priests be asking themselves
what they are doing? (Mark 15:7 reports that
Barabbas was guilty of “murder” and
“insurrection.” Why would the priests be
working to free a murderer?
G. Read Mark 15:12-15. Pilate obviously disagrees
with the crowd. The people did not have a conflict
with Jesus, they were blessed by Him. How do you
explain that they called for the most painful and
humiliating death for Jesus? (The only explanation
is that Satan and his fallen angels were promoting
this.)
1. Step back a moment and consider some of the
illogical, ridiculous, and evil things going
on in the world. How do you account for them?
II. Humiliation
A. Read Mark 15:16-20. How do you like to be
humiliated?
1. Consider that the “whole battalion” was:
a. Seeing you naked;
b. Spitting on you;
c. Pretending to coronate you as king;
d. Mocking you as king;
e. Hitting you on the head; and,
f. Further hurting you.
B. Let’s go back and re-read Mark 15:15. What else
happened to Jesus at the hands of the soldiers?
(He was whipped. The Bible Knowledge Commentary
says that the flogging before a crucifixion
involved being tied naked to a post, beaten by
several guards who used leather whips embedded
with bone or metal. There was no limit to the
number of blows, and this beating often proved
fatal.)
1. Once again consider the source of this
torture. Do you think that Satan is going to
treat you well if you fall into his hands?
2. When you sin do you contemplate the fact that
you are supporting something so evil?
III. Crucifixion
A. Read Mark 15:21. After all of this, including
being up all night, are you surprised that Jesus
could not carry His cross?
1. Where are Jesus’ disciples? Why do they not
come forward to carry Jesus’ cross?
B. Read Mark 15:22-23. Why would Jesus turn this
down? Crucifixion was incredibly painful!
C. Read Proverbs 31:4-7. Isn’t Jesus precisely the
person who should drink wine according to this
text? (Jesus is “perishing,” but His concern is
undoubtedly about wine perverting the judgment of
leaders. Jesus was in the most difficult
temptation and He wanted His mind to be absolutely
clear.)
1. Why would the Romans suddenly show mercy to
Jesus? (John MacArthur’s commentary speculates
this is not about compassion, but limiting the
victim’s struggling while being nailed to the
cross.)
D. Read Mark 15:24-26. This shows us once again that
Jesus is naked, but this time He is visible to
all. In many cultures nudity is common. One
commentator wrote that in Jesus’ culture public
nudity was abhorred – held in extreme contempt.
Did the Jewish leaders anticipate this would be
done to Jesus?
E. Read Mark 15:27-31. What made this ridicule so
difficult for Jesus? (Not only was He God, but He
could have come down from the cross. If you mock
me about something I have the power to do, I will
show you!)
F. Read Mark 15:32. After Jesus died, why didn’t He
fly off the cross and go to heaven in front of all
these haters? (This makes no sense except that
Jesus was going to celebrate His victory over sin
by resting on the Sabbath in the grave.)
G. Read Mark 15:33. Why would it be dark at noon?
(Read Joel 2:1-2. God is showing His disapproval
of what is going on.)
H. Read Mark 15:34. Put yourself in Jesus’ place. Do
you think He expected to feel this way? (Read what
Jesus was doing for us in 2 Corinthians 5:14-15.
He took all our sins on His shoulders. He paid the
price for our sins. The terrible weight of our
sins seemed to separate Him from His Father.)
I. Read Romans 8:32. I sometimes read about the
“wrath of God” being on Jesus as He bore our sins
on the cross. What does Romans say about God’s
attitude at the cross? (As we have been
discussing, in the terrible things that happened
to Jesus we see the hand of Satan, not God.
Although God will execute judgment on the wicked,
I think most all “judgment” upon humans comes from
Satan because, as with Jesus, God allows it for
His glory.)
J. Read Mark 15:35-36. What does the suggestion that
Elijah will save Jesus tell us? (Likely, they
thought Jesus said, “Elijah,” not “Eloi.” Thus,
they thought He was calling for Elijah. The worst
part is that up to the end the people
misunderstood Jesus and the nature of His power.)
IV. Reaction
A. Read Mark 15:37-38. Why would the curtain in the
temple be torn? Why mention the way it was torn?
(Read Hebrews 10:19-22. The curtain that separated
the holy from the most holy compartments of the
temple is believed to have been 60 feet high. This
height and the nature of the event tell us this
was done supernaturally. The significance of this
is that upon the death of Jesus, we can now enter
into the presence of God. The symbolism of the
sacrificial system is fulfilled.)
B. Read Mark 15:39. Think about all this centurion
witnessed in the last hours of Jesus’ life.
Instead of being swayed by the crowd who mocked
Jesus, he was convinced of Jesus’ divinity. Why?
C. Read Mark 15:40-41. Why did these women look on
from a distance? (It was just too terrible to
fully take in.)
1. What do you make of the fact that Mark
mentions only women as being present, and does
not mention any men? (Read John 19:25-27. At
least John was present. Mark’s point is that
these women cared for Jesus during His life,
and they wanted to help now.)
D. Read Mark 15:42-43. Joseph of Arimathea was a
member of the group who decided to kill Jesus. Is
he like the centurion, converted by the facts of
the last few hours? (Read John 19:38. He was
previously a believer who is now willing to
declare he is for Jesus.)
E. Read Mark 15:44-47. Is the discussion with Pilate
important? (Yes. This is official proof that Jesus
died on the cross. This is not a trick to make
people simply think He died.)
F. Friend, this account breaks my heart. Ask the Holy
Spirit to bring these events to mind whenever you
experience loss or temptation. Jesus loves us and
Satan is the enemy we should not support.
V. Next week: The Risen Lord.
Copr. 2024, Bruce N. Cameron, J.D. Scripture quotations are
from the ESV Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard
Version ), copyright 2001 by Crossway, a publishing
ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All
rights reserved. Suggested answers are found within
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link: http://www.GoBible.org. Pray for the guidance of the
Holy Spirit as you study.
